From wastes of sand a smoke plume rose, past the long river the round sun sank low.

Zang Jian carried the sword case on his back, and his right hand held the Shen Tu Sword. He rubbed its chin with his left hand and after a moment of silence, he followed Ou Yangming.

Although he was a Daoist disciple, he was not pedantic and knew how to borrow power.

Of course, the most important point was that he wanted to befriend Ou Yangming. He had not spent much time with Ou Yangming but after a few interactions, he had some understanding of the young fellow's personality. Outside the light screen, the young fellow fought against the Ji family's Daoist disciple and was never in a disadvantageous spot.

Deep in the Barren Desert, Ou Yangming even used himself as bait to force Ji Haoran into a desperate situation.

If the Daoist disciple did not have a heaven-defying life-saving technique similar to a Venerable One's strike, he would have become Ou Yangming stepping stone on his path.

Ou Yangming's potential, temperament, decisiveness, as well as his execution, were all seen and remembered by Zang Jian. Therefore, it was reasonable for him to want to befriend the young fellow, which was why he followed him.

Time passed bit by bit and soon, more people took refuge behind Ou Yangming. It was strange because the number of Spirit-devouring Scorpions around was terrifying but none of them attacked anyone else. All of them were focused on the young fellow, baring their teeth madly as if he had dug up their ancestral grave.

Upon seeing this, the cultivators could help but think of the word "awesome". Unconvinced? If one could also remain calm under the encirclement of so many Spirit-devouring Scorpions as though one was strolling leisurely in a courtyard, one could be considered awesome too!

As Ou Yangming got closer to the light screen, more Spirit-devouring Scorpions died under the Heavenly Phoenix Fire, and the fierce beasts became crazier.

Even so, they still could not do anything to Ou Yangming. After all, this was the Heavenly Phoenix Fire. How stupid would one have to be to throw themselves into the fire? Not to mention that the scorpions were only high-rank ferocious beasts, even a Venerable One would be half-dead if one's skin touched the fire.

Outside the light screen, in an extremely hidden place.

Dong Chenyu's face was gloomy. He secretly adjusted his aura, not allowing any killing intent to spread out.

The rest of the Blood Horned Dragons were the same, staring ahead without blinking.

All of a sudden, thunderous sounds came from the depths of the desert. Immediately after, countless yellow sand filled the air.

"Haha, from the looks of it, they must've been chased by the Spirit-devouring Scorpions. Judging from the momentum, they're probably doomed! Those beasts won't dare to cross the light screen. Be careful. If there are any unusual movements, attack immediately. Don't give them any chance to catch their breaths!" A top-grade Blood Horned Dragon grinned, his eyes were full of bloodlust.

Even Dong Chenyu's eyes were filled with joy. Nonetheless, he still put on air and snorted coldly. "Those 2 humans must be captured alive! Once we return to the clan, use their spiritual powers to protect their heart meridians then seal their dantians and carry out the Open-air Lamp Execution on them."

The so-called "Open-air Lamp Execution" was carried out by making a hole in the top of a cultivator's head. Tiny pieces of cotton would be stuffed into the hole, which would then be filled with some lamp oil. After being lit with fire, the cotton would continue to burn deeper into the hole. Following that, the cultivator's spiritual power would be used to protect his or her heart meridian. Sometimes, even when half of one's flesh and blood were burnt, one would still not die. This was a vicious execution.

When the other Blood Horned Dragons heard this, they smacked their lips, and their eyes turned red.

At the spur of the moment, a white flame that was faintly discernible appeared in their sights.

"This... Doesn't seem right!" A 33-meters-long Blood Horned Dragon's eyes flashed with doubt.

"Mm, it looks like it. Forget it, let's rush out and stop them!" A Blood Horned Dragon beside him softly agreed.

"Kill!" Dong Chenyu let out a muffled roar. His voice sounded as if it was mixed with ice shards.

With that, the group of Blood Horned Dragons howled and turned into numerous red lights as they rushed out.

"This... What's that white flame? My god, so many Spirit-devouring Scorpions have been burned to death!" A voice that was faintly filled with fear could be heard.

"Uh, it's the person in the flame! The smell of blood is so thick that it's hard to imagine! This person must've killed many of our kind. A blood debt can only be repaid with blood. Go—" Even more Blood Horned Dragons were unafraid as they were all the most valiant warriors of the Blood Dragon Clan. They would never retreat when faced with an enemy.

Dong Chenyu was the fastest. He flew with his body and soared in the air, surpassing the other Blood Dragons by hundreds of meters. After landing, he blocked Ou Yangming's path at about 333 meters away.

Ou Yangming had just escaped from the light screen. His heart thumped, and he wondered, 'Why did this fella come looking for me?' Nevertheless, his face was still calm.

The instant He Jian saw Dong Chenyu, his heart skipped a beat. He stole a glance at Ou Yangming.

As for the people who had followed behind Ou Yangming to take refuge, they quickly scattered.

Who were they kidding, after all? Given that Dong Chenyu was flying without the help of spiritual power, it indicated that he was a Venerable One. If any of the cultivators were targeted, they would die without knowing how they were killed. Moreover, it was worth noting that the Venerable One was from a foreign race.

The cultivators carefully glanced at Ou Yangming. Their expressions kept changing, and they had complicated feelings as they lamented, 'His ability to stir up trouble is truly something else. He had just offended the Ji family's Daoist disciple but now, a Venerable One's waiting for him outside. How big is the enmity between them? Besides, the Venerable One has more than 100 helpers behind him. Isn't he exaggerating this? Or rather, isn't he being too cautious?'

They did not know that Dong Chenyu was not exaggerating it.

If Ou Yangming and He Jian worked together, they could really escape from the Venerable One. There was a precedent.

Therefore, this time, even if Dong Chenyu was a little more cautious, it was not too much.

The Spiritualists who had escaped from the Barren Desert saw this, and Zang Jian was naturally no exception.

He secretly observed Ou Yangming, trying to read his thoughts from his face.

Despite that, Ou Yangming was calm, and there was not a trace of worry on his face. Zang Jian hesitated for a moment then thought, 'This is undoubtedly the best time to befriend him. No matter what, lending a hand in times of trouble is better than adding brilliance to one's splendor. If he needs help at this time, and I assist him from the side, it'll still be considered a small favor no matter what. But his enemy's a Venerable One, who even brought helpers along. This is something worth considering. Ah, it's a difficult choice…'

Zang Jian pondered for a long time, and various thoughts crossed his mind. Finally, he closed his lips, gritted his teeth, and flashed to Ou Yangming's side.

Ou Yangming looked at Zang Jian in slight surprise and expressed calmly, "It won't be good for you to get involved in this mess!"

Zang Jian shook his head with a determined look in his eyes. "I wouldn't want to get involved if it isn't a mess" Whenever he made a decision, he would rarely change his mind. Sword cultivators were usually one-track-minded. Of course, this referred to at least Daoist disciples. Xiang Lingyue, Wen Zhou, and the others only used swords and were not considered sword cultivators.

Jiang Yingrong's expression changed slightly. She exhaled the turbid air in her chest, raised her right foot, and took half a step forward. She questioned coldly, "When have the foreign races become so arrogant? How dare you trespass into the Blood Dragon Clan's territory?"

"The Blood Dragon Clan? What can they do to me if their Venerable Ones don't come?" Dong Chenyu had an unyielding expression on his face. He looked at them with an ugly smile, and he looked like a cat playing with a mouse.

As soon as he finished, he waved his hand and said softly, "Boys, the day of our revenge is here. The Blood Horned Dragon Clan is brave so let's capture them and drink their blood after that. Kill!"

Instantly, the hundreds of Blood Horned Dragons charged toward like streaks of red lightning.

Jiang Yingrong's face was deathly pale. She moved gracefully and asked as she retreated, "Elder He, what exactly is going on?"

She knew He Jian and Ou Yangming had killed a few Blood Horned Dragons before, but it was not to the extent that there would be such a huge enmity between them, right? Given that even a Venerable One had come, this was beyond her imagination.

He Jian's face was full of wrinkles. Without hesitation, he drew his sword and answered, "Last time, when I went out with Brother Yu, we saw the Blood Horned Dragons slaughtering a village. We chased their leader for hundreds of kilometers and in the end, Brother Yu killed Dong Ruyu in front of him." He pointed at the Venerable One.

"Dong Ruyu?" Jiang Yingrong raised her voice. Her voice was pleasant to hear, like a clear spring knocking on a mountain rock.

"It was this foreign creature's son," He Jian explained.

"Hiss, hiss... . ." His voice was not loud, but it caused waves of shock to surge in the minds of everyone present!

At this moment, everyone's face changed when they looked at Ou Yangming. There was shock, fear, admiration... There were all sorts of things. He actually dared to forcefully kill a Venerable One's son in front of him. Not to mention his strength, just how courageous and determined was he?

Those who could enter the Barren Desert could be considered the cream of the crop but at this moment, they were still shocked beyond words by this news.

When Zang Jian heard this, he looked around, as his eyes lit up. The sword mark on his arm flickered as he activated it. This was the blood essence power of the Ultimate Sword Peak's peak master. It was tyrannical, and it was also the most important reason he dared to get involved in this mess.

"Noisy..." When Dong Chenyu heard them, his expression turned cold as if he was covered in frost. He snorted coldly and rushed over.

Zang Jian pursed his thin lips, and his eyes were filled with solemnity. He transmitted his voice to Ou Yangming, 'Brother Yu, buy me 10 breaths of time!'

Ou Yangming did not reply, and his expression did not change at all.

His feet seemed to be stepping on 2 balls of dazzling flames as he quickly retreated. He did not reply, but it was the best answer. He wanted to fight.

At the same time, his right hand tapped his interspatial bag, and a white light spread out. Afterward, he was already holding the Blood Spear Dragon Slayer tightly!

When he lightly tapped with his right middle finger, the tadpole-like runes on the Dragon Slayer instantly lit up. The fresh blood in his body burned fiercely, and his fighting spirit surged. He wanted to see if he could withstand 2 moves from the Venerable One and hold on for a few breaths!

The red tassel on the Dragon Slayer looked like blood. It swayed in the dusk, and the head of the spear emitted a brilliant red light.

Ou Yangming focused, and he roared loudly, "Magic Art Amplification!" Before he finished, his golden mental power surged out like a heaven-shaking wave.

'Stone Awl Art!' Ou Yangming roared internally. He pointed his spear forward, and the yellow sand in the desert was like soybeans jumping on iron sheets. With a roar, the shaking yellow sand seemed to be held by a pair of invisible hands at both ends, then he forcefully squeezed them toward the middle.